Os Guinness On Why Christians Need To Stand For Truth Today (Video)

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Why Does Truth Matter?

“Truth yields life. If we are sailors lost at sea, we need true north. If we’re branches on tree hoping to bear fruit, which we are, we need connection to a true vine. Truth tells us where we are, who we are, to whom we belong, and the real story in which we can fully live. It seems to me that our American culture, in its present condition, is both lost and starving for truth, and therefore vulnerable to the deception of power politics, marketing schemes, and politically correct slogans of professors, politicians, and media that often lead to the death of the soul and the body. Lies lead to death and a culture of death, but the truth sets people free for life.”—Kelley Monroe Kullberg

See also, John 8:31-32

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Isn’t apologetics only for academics and intellectuals?

Here's a common objection you may have encountered: Isn’t apologetics only for academics and intellectuals? The short answer is no. Here’s why. Everyone has questions—you do, your kids do, your friends and neighbors do, your family does, and our culture certainly does. It’s that simple. We will either think carefully or poorly about these questions, but the questions themselves cannot be avoided. Secondly, if Christianity is true, then it speaks to all of life. It doesn't get more 'everyday' than that (1 Pet. 3:15).

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Moral Relativism Leads to Absurd Conclusions

Moral relativism leaves us in the frustrating position of not being able to say that there is a moral difference between Adolph Hitler and Mother Teresa. The only way to do so would be to appeal to an external standard of morality. Yet, this is precisely what moral relativism denies. But surely such a conclusion is absurd. Mother Teresa lived to save lives; Hitler lived to destroy them. There are many reasons to reject moral relativism, but this is one of the most persuasive.

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Let's Talk About Reality...Not Religion

Recently I had the honor and pleasure of speaking to the students at Summit Ministries worldview camp in TN. It was a blast! First it was so encouraging to meet young men and women excited about understanding, defending, and living out the Christian worldview. Second, this experience fires me up to keep doing what I am doing--the next generation needs to be encouraged and equipped to Think Christianly! (2 Tim. 2:2; Jude 3). They ARE the future.

In today's post I want to share a conversation I had with some of the sharp young men during lunch. It had to do with how we talk about Christianity with our friends, family, and coworkers. Most of the time, well meaning Christians talk about Christianity in the context of religion…not reality. Is that a problem? Yes, and here's why. Religion is understood as a personal and private feeling that is not accessible by everyone else. You can't question, challenge, or investigate it; you must simply be tolerant of it (and by tolerant, I am using the modern misunderstanding of tolerance which believes that all religious views are equally valid simply because a person sincerely believes them). That's why having a conversation about Christianity as a religion is a dead end. It's a non-starter.

That's why I encouraged these students to talk about Christianity in the context of reality where terms like truth, knowledge, reason, and evidence apply. Any claim about reality is either true or false (it can't be both). If Christianity is not the kind of thing that can be true or false…the battle has already been lost and the Gospel cannot be seriously considered. We need to talk about Christianity in the same way we talk about having a prescription filled at the pharmacy or receiving instruction from a Doctor.

In today's society, religion is a fuzzy (i.e., socially constructed or psychologically projected) category that makes little difference in everyday life. But if Christianity is true, then it speaks to ALL of life. It makes a comprehensive claim on reality. Jesus didn't intend to merely address two hours of our week. As Christians we need to have more conversations about reality and less about religion.

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Why Intellectual Virtues Are Important

One of the ways that we can increase the chances of forming true beliefs and arriving at knowledge is by pursuing intellectual virtues. An intellectual virtue is “a characteristic of a person who acts in a praise-worthy manner in the process of forming beliefs.” For example, James Beilby and David Clark describe the intellectual virtues of honesty and courage: “Being intellectually honest means making a fair appraisal of the evidence at hand, dedicating effort to reach valid conclusions, admitting personal biases that affect beliefs, and seeking to reduce those biases. In an intellectual context, courage involves, among other things, being willing to take the minority position when the evidence points in that direction. It also means investigating personally held beliefs with rigor” (Why Bother With Truth?). These virtues do not happen by accident, they are the result of forming healthy intellectual habits over time.

But the goal of knowledge is not just to accumulate data. The acquisition of knowledge should help us along the path of becoming virtuous people and flourishing as followers of Jesus Christ. Knowledge, over time and with effort, becomes understanding. Understanding then describes the growing integration of our fragmented knowledge into an increasingly coherent picture of God and our world. And as we grow in understanding, we have the opportunity to grow in wisdom as well, which is the skillful application of knowledge and understanding to life.

Solomon speaks of the blessing that accompanies this dynamic pursuit: “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding” (Prov. 3:13; cf. 2:6). Knowledge is the crucial first step in this process. And as Christ-followers, we should remember that our actions flow out of what we truly believe (cf. Rom. 12:1–2).

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The Differences Are Worth Debating

"The differences between religions are worth debating. Theology has consequences: It shapes lives, families, nations, cultures, wars; it can change people, save them from themselves, and sometimes warp or even destroy them. If we tiptoe politely around this reality, then we betray every teacher, guru and philosopher—including Jesus of Nazareth and the Buddha both—who ever sought to resolve the most human of all problems: How then should we live?"--Ross Douthat

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How to Test a Worldview in 3 Easy Steps

There are so many different worldviews and belief systems out there...how can we make a wise choice? In this video, I share 3 tests you can apply to any worldview.




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I'd love to hear what you think. For you, what is the most compelling thing about the Christian worldview? Feel free to leave a comment below.

What is Courage?

The day before he fell ill, Chuck Colson recorded this important video about the virtue of courage:


"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."--1 Cor. 15:58

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New York Times' Columnist Ross Douthat Talks About the State of American Christianity

Interesting interview:

"In his new book “Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics,” Ross Douthat, an Op-Ed columnist for The Times, writes about how Christianity lost its central place in American life through a variety of factors, among them the religion’s failed attempts to accommodate secular trends; a strong identification of the church with strictly conservative politics; a lack of great religious-inspired art; and the appeal to a “God within” that tailors spirituality to the citizens of a self-help age. I recently spoke with Mr. Douthat about the book via e-mail. Below are excerpts of the conversation.

“Bad Religion”

Q.

Does the book presume that a widespread, mainstream Christianity is necessary to have a thriving United States?

A.

It depends what you mean by “thriving.” I’m not arguing that if we don’t all repent our sins tomorrow, we’re going to be conquered by the Chinese or collapse into a Balkans-style civil war. I’m quite confident that America will remain rich, powerful and relatively stable even if the religious trends I’m describing continue apace. But I do think that institutional Christianity has offered something important to our nation — sometimes a moral critique of our excesses, sometimes a kind of invisible mortar for our common life — that today’s heresies are unlikely to provide.

Q.

What do you mean by the words “heretics” and “heresy” in the book?

A.

I mean expressions of religious belief that are no longer traditionally Christian, but remain deeply influenced by Christianity — and fascinated, in particular, by the figure of Jesus of Nazareth — in ways that are hard to describe as post-Christian or non-Christian or secular. It’s a loaded word, obviously, but I think it’s the best way to describe the religious landscape in America today: Diverse, fragmented, polarized, and yet Christ-haunted all the same.

Q.

Evangelicals and Catholics united with each other “in the cause of culture war.” You argue that culture war is not the best use of Christianity, but is it the strongest glue left to it?

A.

Sometimes it seems to be. In an era of weakened religious affiliation and intensified partisanship, the zeal that’s associated with political combat can supply believers with the feeling of cohesion and common purpose that the institutional churches aren’t always able to supply. The danger here is obvious: If American Christianity is just one expression of the identity politics of conservative America, then it isn’t really much of a Christianity at all. But at the same time, it isn’t enough to say that believers should just stay away from politics entirely. Like all Americans, Christians have an obligation be engaged citizens, and to bring their beliefs to bear on the great debates in our society. If they shirked that duty, you wouldn’t just lose Jerry Falwell or Al Sharpton – you’d lose Reinhold Niebuhr and Martin Luther King.

Q.

You write about current religious popular art feeling “middlebrow, garish and naïve” or “ingenuous and tacky.” How might that change, and how important is it that it does?

A.

One of the striking things about the post-1960s era is how unimportant sacred art and architecture have become in our culture. Obviously some of that reflects the secular biases of our artists and intellectuals. But some of it reflects the straightforward failures of believers to write the novels and make the films and build the cathedrals that would testify, more eloquently than any polemic, to the Christian view of God and man. The critic Alan Jacobs observed to me once that much of what remains of highbrow Christian culture in the West is sustained not by theologians or bishops or pastors, but by poets and novelists and memoirists — C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton and W.H. Auden and Flannery O’Connor and so on. He’s right, and we need more like them."

Read the rest of John William's interview with Ross Douthat here.
Here's my perspective and what Christians can do to better engage culture.
How do you think Christians are doing? What do you think needs to change?

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Remembering the Life of Charles "Chuck" Colson

Like thousands of people all over the world, I listened to Chuck Colson's Break Point program as he engaged the issues of our day from a Christian perspective. I learned from what he said and equally important--how he said it. Chuck Colson was a hero of mine and I am sad that I will never again hear his distinctive voice lovingly contending for truth coming through my radio. I'll never forget receiving his endorsement for my book Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture last fall. I was humbled that he would take the time and deeply challenged to faithfully live up to the words he wrote: "As someone who has devoted many years of ministry to teaching Christian worldview. I am thrilled to see dynamic and faithful worldview leaders like Jonathan Morrow stepping to the fore. Think Christianly, in a compelling and accessible way, equips Christians young and old to engage the culture winsomely, intelligently, and with confidence.” Chuck Colson fought the good fight, he ran his race and has finished well. Now it's my turn...now it's our turn. May God give me the grace to invest my life in the next generation for the glory of God and may my life make just a fraction of the impact for eternity that Chuck Colson's did during his 80 years on this earth.

“One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is that I don’t ever get up in the morning and wonder if what I do matters. I live every day to the fullest because I can live it through Christ and I know no matter what I do today, I’m going to do something to advance the Kingdom of God.”— Charles Colson



More on the powerful life of Chuck Colson.

A moving interview in which Chuck Colson talks about the what the good life is really all about (30 min).

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Why Are Christians So Defensive?

There are several factors. But I think lack of knowledge is a big one. Nancy Pearcey explains how this works, “Generations of churched youngsters have been encouraged to shore up their religious commitment by sheer will power, closing their eyes and ears to contrary ideas. This explains why so many churches are full of people who are closed-minded, dogmatic, harsh and judgmental. Only people who understand that Christianity is true to the real world are capable of the relaxed confidence that allows them to be open, patient, and loving toward those who differ from them."

We need to raise up a new generation of Christians who know what they believe, why they believe it, and why it matters in life (1 Peter 3:15; Col. 4:5-6; 2 Cor. 5:20). Christians need a holistic vision for life that is integrated and compelling. Here is one place to start.

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Time to Break the Spiral of Silence

I have signed this...have you?



What is the Spiral of Silence?

"A social phenomenon where, out of a desire to avoid reprisal or rejection, people go along with what they think is the popular opinion -- even if they object to that opinion personally. Instead of voicing their opinions, they remain silent."

Don't be silent. Be respectful. Be courageous. Share this video with others.

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The Theological Truth of "Reconciliation"

"I am totally accepted by God." (Reconciliation)

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”—Col. 1:21-22

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”—Rom. 5:8-11

That is very good news indeed and a theological truth that has huge implications for life!

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Six Key Questions to Ask an Atheist in a Conversation

Ravi Zacharias offers a very helpful list of questions, here are a couple of them: "Many times, as Christian theists, we find ourselves on the defensive against the critiques and questions of atheists. Sometimes, in the midst of arguments and proofs, we miss the importance of conversation. These questions, then, are meant to be a part of a conversation. They are not, in and of themselves, arguments or "proofs" for God. They are commonly asked existential or experiential questions that both atheists and theists alike can ponder.

1. If there is no God, “the big questions” remain unanswered, so how do we answer the following questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? This question was asked by Aristotle and Leibniz alike – albeit with differing answers. But it is an historic concern. Why is there conscious, intelligent life on this planet, and is there any meaning to this life? If there is meaning, what kind of meaning and how is it found? Does human history lead anywhere, or is it all in vain since death is merely the end? How do you come to understand good and evil, right and wrong without a transcendent signifier? If these concepts are merely social constructions, or human opinions, whose opinion does one trust in determining what is good or bad, right or wrong? If you are content within atheism, what circumstances would serve to make you open to other answers?

2. If we reject the existence of God, we are left with a crisis of meaning, so why don’t we see more atheists like Jean Paul Sartre, or Friedrich Nietzsche, or Michel Foucault? These three philosophers, who also embraced atheism, recognized that in the absence of God, there was no transcendent meaning beyond one’s own self-interests, pleasures, or tastes. The crisis of atheistic meaninglessness is depicted in Sartre’s book Nausea. Without God, there is a crisis of meaning, and these three thinkers, among others, show us a world of just stuff, thrown out into space and time, going nowhere, meaning nothing.

3. When people have embraced atheism, the historical results can be horrific, as in the regimes of Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot who saw religion as the problem and worked to eradicate it? In other words, what set of actions are consistent with particular belief commitments? It could be argued, that these behaviors – of the regimes in question - are more consistent with the implications of atheism. Though, I'm thankful that many of the atheists I know do not live the implications of these beliefs out for themselves like others did! It could be argued that the socio-political ideologies could very well be the outworking of a particular set of beliefs – beliefs that posited the ideal state as an atheistic one...."

Read the rest here.

Sean McDowell and I respond to the 18 most challenging questions atheists raise here.

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Is Piers Morgan Tolerant of Christians? Should He Be?

CNN's Piers Morgan is passionate about tolerance...but what does he mean by that? And is he being tolerant towards people with whom he disagrees? How should Christians respond to controversial issues? I address these and other issues in our new podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the new Think Christianly podcast here.

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Are you in need of some good news today?

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”—Heb. 4:14-16

"Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."--Heb. 7:24-25

Praise be to our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Have we already lost the battle?

"When Christians are willing to reduce religion to noncognitive categories, unconnected to questions of truth or evidence, then we have already lost the battle."* Please reread that last sentence. You see, if Christianity does not rise to the level of being true or false then it has been removed completely from the cognitive realm. If something can't be false, then it can't be true either. And rational investigation or justification fly out the window too. If we in the American church don't get this and teach it to the next generation, then Christians will be increasingly marginalized in a secular culture. But worse still, this unbiblical notion will sap us of our confidence to live as if Christianity were actually true because confidence and knowledge go hand and hand. I go into more detail on how this plays out in our lives and in the broader culture here.

*Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth.

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Eric Metaxas Speaks At The 2012 National Prayer Breakfast: A Bonhoeffer Moment

In case you missed this or haven't seen it yet, you really owe it to yourself to watch this video. Eric's talk begins 35 mins in (on the C-SPAN video below) and ends with him leading the 3,500 assembled (including the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State) in singing “Amazing Grace”. This may be the most important 30 minutes you spend today.



As Eric says, this is a Bonhoeffer moment. As Christians, we need to lovingly, yet with full conviction stand for religious liberty, the freedom of conscience, traditional marriage, and the protection of all human life.

Here are two first steps. First, get informed and add your voice to the the more than 500,000 people who have read and signed the Manhattan Declaration. And then share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, and by email.

Second, please take 60 seconds and sign this petition to the President and let him know that you want him to stand for religious liberty.

Chuck Colson and Timothy George on this issue in Christianity Today.

Read Eric Metaxas' New York Times bestselling book on Bonhoeffer:

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Of Course God Doesn't Exist...Now What? Introducing Atheism 2.0

A friend of mine recommended this TED video on Atheism 2.0 and I found it to be fascinating (wrongheaded...but fascinating nonetheless). Atheism 1.0 is about the angry atheists - he singles out Richard Dawkins - who think religion is dangerous and the intellectual equivalent of believing in the tooth fairy. I have written a book responding to this brand of atheism and am convinced that Christianity is not only true, but there are good reasons to believe its true. But I will let the reader decide if that was successful. I mention that because in Atheism 2.0, Botton starts by asserting (not arguing) "of course God doesn't exist. But let's not throw out religion, let's learn from it." There are things we can pick and choose and assemble. We can have mystery and spiritual experiences without the existence of anything spiritual. Romanticism meets atheism. There is no purpose so we must create our own. Culture must replace Scripture. Why? Because no one is teaching us how to live. Secularism simply gives us information and data. But what people long for is human flourishing and community (BTW - the Christian worldview really sparkles here). So Botton suggests there is much to learn from religion even if we don't believe any of it.

 There is much that can be said, but I want to suggest the main reason the project of Atheism 2.0 will fail: It's not aiming at truth. Transcendence without truth will lead to despair in the end. Truth is not an "open source" kind of thing. It's not a wiki project.

In response to this video, I want to recommend two resources. First the book I wrote with Sean McDowell Is God Just a Human Invention? which largely deals with Atheism 1.0. If you would like a thoughtful response to the themes of Atheism 2.0, I would recommend Saving Leonardo by Nancy Pearcey.

The teachable moment from a video like this is that people are hungry for meaning, purpose, and a vision for human flourishing. But that must be grounded in an objective answer to the question - what is a human being for? And Christianity of course has much to offer here. Humans are created by God for an everlasting relationship with Him and each other.

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